Apparatus for moistening air.



PATENTED MAR- 26, 1907.

H. BENTZ. APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING AIR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT l.

FIG]

INVENTOR WITNESS/ES:

PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907 H. BBNTZ. APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING AIR.

APPLIGATIUN FILED JAN. 18/1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7 PATENTED MAR. 26, 1907. H. BENTZ. APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING AIR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18,1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed January 1d, 1907. Serial No 352,868.

I (11 2- whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY BENTZ, a citioi the United States. and a resident of T oi Vfestchestor and of New York, he, invented certain useful Improvements in Apparatus l".. the following a ii. nion. I

i. ii invention relates to improvements in apparatus for moistening air for use in fac- 1 es, rooms, compartments, and other plat s where moistened air is required, as in pinning and weaving rooms, tobacco factoies, stores, and shots-moses; and it consistsin ,he novel'features and combinations of-parts hereinafter described, and particular y pointed out in the claims.

It is well known that many attempts have heretofore been made to moisten air by causing thesime to pass through a body of water or against fabrics saturated with water, whereby the air is caused to absorb moisture, and it is also weli known that in commercial use many difficulties have been encountered 5 in the use of the methods and means heretofore devised for moistenin g air and conveying it to the place or places intended to receive the same. It is a familiariact that many devices produced for the purpose of moisten- ;0 ing air have proved to be failures when attempts were made to piace them in practical use, that many of such devices are complex and involve an expensive equip that many of them are only fidfji'itttfi me otcning the air for a mixed room man f them have to be pla: d in. operation for at least several hours to PAZL iinplish the first rnoistening of the air for a. factory-room. The broad principle of moistening air by movrated fabric has been known for many cars, and the desirability pfproviding moistened air for spinning and weaving rooms and other places has long been recognized and many atteutipts have been made to afford adcipiatc means for accomplishing the moistoning of the air for such rooms and other places. The methods and ineansdieretofore devised for "ring s have not, however, been universall or 'rely satisfactory, and a demand has existed for means. which would rapidly and eFfe'ctualbmoisten for oiyuse.

The object of the present invention is to meet this demand and to afford a simple, adeing the some through water or against a satu-- quate, and rapid process, with n'ieans for carrying the same into effect, whereby the air for a factory may be moistened rapidly and offectually to any desired degree. In accordance with my invention I provide novel apparatus by means of which I am enabled to cause the air to pass into and from a body of water in such manner as to create a new principle of operation resulting in the air being very efficiently and rapidly-' moistened and under initial pressure driven into the room within which the air is to be employed, and said apparatus comprises a vertically-disposed receptacle to contain a body of water, means for supplying the Water to said-receptacle, a pipe leading from without into an air-pressure chamber or reservoir located within said receptacle and having its discharge end or pipe connection below the surface of the water therein, means 7 5 for driving the air under pressure into said chamber and thence down through the same into the body of Water, and 'means below said chamber for compelling a lateral and radial distribution of the descending volume of air through the Water, the volume of air passing downwardly being comparatively large in proportion to the size of the receptacle and body of water contained therein and not being subdivided into jets or fragmcntary confined divisions by mechanical means, but being compelled in large. volume and with great force to tear downwardly directly through the body of water in such manner that the water is thoroughly agitated go and maintained ina state of violent ebullition andthe air caused to pass into direct contact with the maximum extent of the water and become rapidly, thoroughly, and uniformly moistened. The air reservoir or chamber provided within the main receptaole is of advantage in assuring the carrying out of my. process in the most successful manner, and. the lower end of'the said reservoir or chamber is in the shape of an inzoo verted cone, whose upwardly and outwardly inclined walls extend over the central portion of the bodyof water and in near relation thereto and are of benefit inthe general operation of the apparatus. y

The in'v ention. will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the'accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an air-mois- 11o toning apparatus embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a top view of the same. Fig 3 is a horizontal section of the same on the dotted "verticalcasing or receptacle, preferably constructed of sheet metal, adapted to contain the Water for use in moistening the air; 11,

the supply-pipe for conveying water to said receptacle; 12, a suitable pressure-fan or eon pressor' for driving the air into said receptacle and down through the body of water contained therein, and 13 a motor for driving the compressor 12.

Centrally Within the receptacle 10 is provided a vertical cylindrical casing14, forming within it an air-pressure chamber or reser voir 15, which is in communication with the fan or compressor 12 through a pipe 16, thelatter leading from the fan-casing into the side of the casing'14, preferably at a point considerably below its upper end. The casing 14 is preferably formed with a coneshaped top or dome 17 and has a lower end which is in the form ofan inverted cone 18, at whose lower end is a downwardlyextending pipe-section 19, which serves as the discharge for air from said chamber and has its lower end below the surface of the body of water in the receptacle 10, as shown in Fig. 5. The casing 14 and discharge-pipe 19 may be regarded as a portion of the air-delivery pipe 16, the casing 14 forming an enlargement interposed in said pipe for creating a pressure-chamber for the air. The dome-shaped top 1.7 of the casing 14 increases the capacity of said casing, and the upwardly and outwardly inclined walls of the inverted cone 18 at the lower end of said casing 14 serve to receive the impact of the water thrown upwardly in sprays and waves by the air without materially retarding the upward progress of the air, which is important with my invention, since it is my purpose to rapidly moisten the air and deliver the same at a distance, if required, under the-initial force'generated by the fan or compressor 12. The reservoir 14 is provided so that thcreniay be maintained between the fan 12 and the water within the receptacle 10 a considerable body of air under pressure, said body of air being added to by the fan as the discharge takes place from the pipe 19.

Below the discharge end of the p1pe'19 is secured upon the bottoniol the receptacle H) a cone-shaped deflector 20, provided with I downwardly and outwardly extending blades or ribs 2] andhavingits upper end sot within the discharge end of the pipe H). The blades 21 are radially disposed and inclined downwardly and outwardly from the upper .to the lower end of the cone 20, and said blades increase in depth from their upper to their lower ends, whichare deflected slightly in a spiral course for the purpose of impacting a corresponding movement to the air directedby them. The upper edges of the blades 21 at the upper end of the cone enwater rather than to permit it to take a vertical course downwardly and immediately ascend, which would have the effect of caus ing the air to contact with the middle portion of the body Ward y. extending surfaces of the cone 20 causes the air to be deflected laterally during its descent and to travel a considerable distance from the center toward the outer edges of the body of water before it ascends. The blades or ribs 21 serve toequal-ize the distributiomof the air throughout the body of waterin that they, without unduly dividing the air into streams or currents, assure the down; ward passage of the air on all sides of the, cone 20, and in this result they are aided by the presence of the air-chamber 15, whose effect is to deliver the air with substantial uniformity of pressure and volume upon the upper end of the cone 20 and blades 21. I regard the presence of the deflecting-cone 20 as of considerable importance in obtaining of water within the receptacle 10. The resence of the downwardly and outthe maximum elliciency from the apparatus,

since by the use thereof I am enabled to compol the air to flow so thoroughly throughout the body of water that the latter during the use of the apparatus ismaintained in a state of violent ebullition, this beirig the effect of causing the air to move laterally and downwardly in a violent manner and against or throughout the entire body of the water.

Upon one side of the casing 10 I provide a tube 22, which opens into the bottom of the receptacle 10, as shown in Fig. 4,-and is provided with an outlet-cock 23 at the point at whichit is desired to maintain the level of the water within..the casing 10." In sup lying the casing 10 with water the latteris ailowed to flow into said casing through the pipe 13;, while the cock is open until the attendant" observes that the water is issuing through] said cock, and thereupon the supply of water will be cut off. Various means have heretofore been devised for automatically maintaining a definite water-levelwithin a receptacle, and any of these means may be em- 12 will result in the chamber 15 becoming ployed for maintaining the water-level in the. receptacle 10, my invention not being confined to any special means for accomplishing such purpose.

In the employment of the invention water is first allowed to flow into the receptacle to the proper level therein, and then the motor 13 15 set in operation, with the result that the fan 12 will be rapidly driven and force the air through the pipe 16 into the air-chamber 15 and thence down through the pipe 19 into the body of water within said receptacle. The first part of the operation of the fan charged with air under pressure, and thereupon the fan continuing in motion-the air under pressure will discharge from the lower end of the pipe 19 and tear its way down along the sides of the cone 20 into and through the body of water and finally ascend through the water and pass iroin the contracted top 24 of the receptacle to the room vwithin which it is desired to utilize the moistened air. The receptacle 10 maybe located within the room whose air it is desired to .rnoisten, or it may be located in a difi'erent -room and connected therewith by a pipe I leading from the top 24 of the receptacle. The air descending rom the pipe 19 is de- -wardly-moving air about the middle flected downwardly, laterally, and radially by the-sides of the cone 20, so that before it ascends it is compelled to travel laterally, as well as downwardly, through the body of water from the central toward the outer portions of same, a part of th air ascending somewhat near the pipe 19 and other portionsof. the air ascending considerably beyond the vertical plane of said pipe and substantially uniformly throughout the outer portions of the body of water. ,The air ascends from the body of water with great force and drives the water upwardly in the form of heavy sprays which, falling backwardly into the body ofwater, serve to baffle and mix with the ascending air and increase the percentage of moisture the latter is compelled to absorb. The action of the air is also to createwaves moving concentrically outwardly against the walls of the reccpt acle 10 and then inwardly and breaking up against the incline walls of the cone 18. The air passing into the water greatly agitates the same and passes into contact with the water to the maximum extent, said. air moving against the water during its descent, its lateral movements and its ascent, and then through the thick sprays of water, which constantly ascend from and fall back into the body of same. I regard it as important in attaining the greatest efficiency that the uportions of the receptacle passes through t ose portions of the water which constantly break against the upwardly and outwardly inclined walls of the cone 1 8, since the air slightly without having its upward force unduly dissipated. I have found 1n use that the -m 15 and led the pipe 16 directly to the discharge-pipe section 19. to build upon the cone 18 the ')ressurecha'm ber 15, so as to obtain the benefit of an equalized air-pressure at thedischargc end of the pipe 19. My invention comprises, therefore, an apparatus which not merely causes air to pass through water for absorbing moisture therefrom, but involves a new principle of operation in that by means thereof the air in large volume andunder pressure is driven down into andlaterally through the body of water with sufficient force to maintain the water in a state of violent ebullition and cause the air to the maximum extent to move throughout the entire body of water and become rapidly and eificiently moistened, one purpose of the invention being that the air for a room shall be moistened to the proper degree within a comparatively few minutes in lieu of requiring several hours for the purpose. The water within the receptacle should be warm in order to obtain the most rapid rcsults, and the air should be driven into the body of water with such force that the moistened air will under the pressure thereby created and without any additional or facili- .tating means naturally leave the upper end of the receptacle and pass to the room where it is desired to use it, my invention rendering unnecessary the use of suction or other means for withdrawing the moistened air from the receptacle. v

, hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi prising a receptacle adapted to -contain" a body of water, a pipe for delivering air downwardly into the body of water, means 'for forcing air through said pipe and downwardly into the water, and a deflector for causing the air to travel laterally while moving downwardly through the water, said deflector being in'the form of a cone with its apex at the discharge end of said pipe; substantially as set forth.

2. An apparatus for-inoistening air comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a wardly into the body of water, means ,foh forcing air through said pipe and downwardly air to travel laterally while moving downmg in the fornrof a cone having blades on its pipe substantially as set forth. 3. An apparatus for moistening air coniverted cone 18 is of very great advantage. When l have omitted the pressure-chamberinto the water, and a, deflector for causing the baflied by said walls and moving against the I prefer, however,

1. An apparatus for Inoistening air comiio body of water, a pipe for delivering air doWn-,

wardly through the water, said deflector be-.=

sides and its apex at the discharge end of said l I -W ardly through the I wardl'y into the water,

. face of the wardly into the body of water, a commodious l air-pressure chamber interposed in said pipe,

' combined with a deflector for compelling the vair to travel laterally while moving downipiising a receptacle adapted to contain a body of W11 te l, a pipe'for delivering air down wardly into the. body of water, means for to the upper surforcing air through said pipe and downface of the water; substantially as set forth; and an inverted cone i 8. An apparatus for moistening air com surrounding said pipe close to the upper sur- 1 prising a receptacle adapted to contain a water; substantially as set forth. I .4. An apparatus for prising a receptacle adapted to contain. a[ body of water, a pipefor delivering'air downi for forcing air into said' chamber and therewardly nto the body of water, means for from downwardly into the water, combined forcing air throi'lgh said pipe and'downi witlr a deflector for compelling the air to wzrdly int the water, an upright conetravel laterally while moving downwardly shaped deflector directly below said pipe for through the water; substantially as set forth. causing the air to travel laterally while moving downwardly through the water,'and'an inverted cone surrounding said pipe close to the upper sur ace of the as set forth.

5. An apparatus for moistening' air com- I prising a receptacle adapted to contain a body of water, a pipe for delivering air downwardly into the body of water, a commodious air-pressure chamber interposed in said pipe, and means for forcing into said chamber and there rom downwardly into the water; substantially as set forth;

cle forming a mg a discharge at its lower end, and means prising 'a body of water; substantially receptacle adapted to contain a water, a casing within-said receptacle forming a commodious air-chamber having a means for forcing therefrom downwardly into the water, combined with a deflector for compelling the air to travel laterally while moving downwardly through the water, the lower end of said .casing being close to the upper surface of the waterand in the form of an inverted cone; substantiallyas setforth.

tacle forming a commodious air-chamber having .a discharge at is lower end, and means for forcing air into said chamber and therefromdownwardly into the water, combined w th a cone-shaped deflector below the and means for forcing air nto said chamber and therefrom downwardly into the Water'," combined with a deflector for compelling the air to travel laterally while moving downwater; substantially as set forth.

7. An apparatus formoistening air comprising a receptacle adapted to contain a body of Water, a pipe for delivering air downwardly into the body of water, a commodious I air-pressure chamber interposed in said pipe, and means for forcing air into said chamber and therefrom.downwardly into ,the water,

Grass. 0. GILL, ARTHUR MAa oN.

body of water, a ca-sing within said receptacommodrous air-chamber hav- 9. An apparatus for nioisteiiing air corndischarge at its lower end, and

ail-into said chamber and discharge from said chamber and havm dl- Signed at New York eityfin the of New Yorkvand Stateof'NewYork, this 17th 6. An apparatus .or moistenin'g air com- 10. apparatus for moistening air com prising a receptacle ada ted to contain a prising a receptacle adapted to contain a I body of water, a plpe for ehvering air down body of Water, a casing within said recepwardly through the Water; substantially as 

